Beyond the Sky
by Syaoron the Fox
Summary: Fate. A simple ideology that twists and turns things to work in its favor. Many things are believed to happen because of fate. Unravel the mystery behind the fate of a twosome when a young Riolu wakes up one day on the beach to the sight of an Eevee. Watch while fate spins its thread as the two soar ever higher, on toward new adventures, new friends, and new mysteries.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Finally, I'm out with a brand new story! And it's not Sonic this time! Hurray for variety! Anyway, since this is the initial chapter, and my very first Pokemon story, I'd like your opinion, so please do me a favor and review!**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Nintendo, Game Freak, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, or other Pokemon affiliated games, companies or corps. I hold no claim on the music that is suggested, and it is owned by the said artist. Please support the official releases.  
**

**Claimer: I own all characters and plot changes not affiliated with the above mentioned.  
**

* * *

Storms: the bane of all sailors and seafarers. Storms that were violent enough had the power to sink ships, throw them off their course, or cause some of the crew to fly overboard, to be lost at sea and perhaps never seen again. For many ocean-bound cases, storms were perilous and undesirable.

Even if not at sea, storms can be dangerous to travelers, causing pneumonia in extreme cases and electrocution from lightning in other possibilities. They blinded the eyes and chilled the bone, making

For the travelers we observe right now, they are experiencing a very different storm.

Light flashed, as if caused by lightning. Whirring winds sounded in the midst, signifying that it was a very intense storm indeed. In a place such as this, a storm was unheard of. Something had clearly gone unexpectedly wrong.

Another nearly blinding flash of light. The wind blew harder than before. "H-hold on! Just hold on!" a deep voice shouted in the midst of the dark storm. The figures could hardly see each other, let alone anything else in the middle of the raging tempest.

"I'm trying!" A younger voice shouted in response. His grip loosened; his eyes widened. If he didn't hold on it would be ruinous. "I… I'm slipping!"

Both hands gripped each other harder. "I don't care, just hold on!" the deeper voice yelled back, desperately keeping hold of his partner. As the winds strew them about in its violent torrent, the younger one was screaming in terror, never having been more horrified in his life.

Their hands began to slip and the younger one gasped a bit, trying to cling harder as his grip slipped. "Ah! I can't hold on!" he screamed.

"No, Just keep trying!" the older voice yelled again, trying to maintain a grip. One hand finally slipped between then and they were left hanging by one limb apiece.

It wasn't long until even that slipped through their grasps and the two were lost to the mercy of the raging storm.

**^/\^|v\/v**

…_**Syaoron the Fox presents…**_

_**...His First Pokémon Story…**_

_**Beyond the Sky**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Premonition to a Fresh Start**_

**^/\^|v\/v**

He tried to ease his eyes open; tried to get up. His body felt like a boulder was sitting on it though, and his eyelids weighed down on him by the tons. Barely, he was able to crack his eyes open just enough to be almost instantly blinded by a bright light. "Ah!" he groaned, rolling over to protect his eyes from the bright light.

As he rolled onto all fours, he felt something soft and gritty beneath him. As he fluttered his eyelids, he moaned a bit from the penetrating light and his bright surroundings. He laid his sights on the ground for a moment and blinked. "Sand?" he wondered to himself. He tried to stand up, but his movements felt awkward and out of control and he ended up falling back into the sand.

He couldn't even go on all fours after that. A massive headache suddenly came over him and he laid there on the ground. _No… I can't… _he thought to himself as his vision dimmed. _Fading too fast… can't stay awake… _He was able to catch sight of the sun in the sky before passing out entirely.

^/\^|v\/v

Wigglytuff's Guild. Though the name sounded silly to the unexposed ear, it was one of the most respectable guilds in all the lands. The guild tended to produce many impressive explorers from its bowels, and many aspiring trainees worked there. The guild was an impressive place indeed.

Not only that; it also served as commerce for the local, traveling explorers as well. Many of the Pokémon who were on the road often came to the guild to earn pay by performing certain tasks that were commissioned for the guild. Yes, it was a very interesting place by all due respect. But, how does one become an explorer? Though arduous as the process is, it's often worth its own while in the end.

At least, that was what a certain Eevee hoped as she came to the gates of the guild. The massive, looming teepee designed to look like Wigglytuff himself shrouded the entrance to the hideout that was on the side of a cliff, beyond which a vast, expansive ocean stretched out. To the small she-Eevee, it brought nervous shivers to her core.

"Alright; this is it," she said to herself, trying to imbue herself with courage enough to enter the foreboding guild. She took in a deep breath to try and calm herself as she stepped forward, trying to keep her cool. As she breathed deeply—in and out—she puffed out her chest, trying to seem confident and collected.

Her façade was shattered and left in pieces as she walked over a grate in front of the teepee, a squeaky voice shouting out, "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

The Eevee's heart stopped for a moment when she heard the voice and she looked around for its source. A mere second later, a booming voice sounded in response; from somewhere in the guild, she assumed. "Who's footprint?! Who's footprint?!" the voice responded.

"The footprint is Eevee's! The footprint is Eevee's!" was the given response by the squeaky voice. The she-Eevee was more than frightened enough to back off of the grate, and she let out a sigh, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

She became depressed suddenly, signified by her drooping tail and the ears that were flattened back against her heard. "I… I can't do it," she murmured in her disappointment. She brought a paw up to her neck fur, feeling around for a string and she sighed upon finding it. She looked at the thing attached to the string around her neck: a small stone with a four-spoke wing –like design on the flat surface. "I thought that carrying around my precious treasure would help encourage me," she mused before stuffing away in her neck fur. "Guess that didn't work like I thought it would…"

With a discouraged expression, the lone Eevee sulked away from the guild, back down the stairs that led to the town crossroad. Behind her, in the shadows of the totem poles that stood aloft near the Wigglytuff teepee, a duo of Pokémon waited. "Well, did you hear that, Zubat?" the first one asked, his voice dull and heavy.

"I heard everything, Koffing," the Zubat responded in his high-pitched, know-it-all tone. "The kid said something about a precious treasure. It sounds valuable."

Koffing looked back over to Zubat, puffing gas from his spherical body to keep himself afloat. He raised a brow to his compatriot, nodding in the direction that the Eevee ran in. "Do we go after the runt?"

Zubat nodded, only able to see his sidekick through the use of echolocation. "We do."

^/\^|v\/v

_[Now Playing: __**"Life In Technicolor" by: Coldplay**__]_

The young Eevee couldn't hold back a few tears as she walked straight across the crossroad. She chastised herself constantly as she meandered around. How could she have been so nervous? It was just some shouting from underneath the grate. She knew she could've handled it if she had only been more patient and less timid.

She pondered so many questions in her mind that it almost hurt to realize how foolish she had been to back away. How could she have been so cowardly? That question had plagued her again and again and she finally hiccupped in realization. Hot tears splashed onto the ground as she stopped her walking. "It's because I am a coward…" she cried softly, shaking as her tears slid off her cheeks.

At that very moment, she shook her head, a look of determination suddenly crossing her face. She slapped herself in the face, wiping away her tears. "Don't be so ridiculous," she scolded her own actions. "You're not a coward. It just surprised you, that's all. Just keep a cool head and go back and try it again."

However, as she turned back and saw the guild entrance from below, she sighed. "Aw, who am I kidding," the Eevee grumbled under her breath. "I'm still afraid. What if they reject me? What will I do then?"

Though a frown had been on her face for a while, when she hung her head to feel sorry for herself, she noticed the soft sand that was under her paws and a smile suddenly lit up her face. "I'm already at the beach?" she wondered a bit giddily as she looked up, across the ocean. The sun was beginning to set and her eyes glistened in happiness when she saw it. "Oh wow, it's beautiful!"

As she slowly exhaled, she decided that she'd wash away her worries for the time being by watching the sunset. A giggle escaped her lips as she noticed bubbles floating out toward the horizon. She finally decided to sit down in the sand and she turned her head enough so that she could catch sight of the crab-like pokemon on the cliffs, blowing bubbles out into the ocean.

"I always love it when the Krabby blow bubbles at sunset," she mused contently to herself, lost in thought. "The bubbles always twinkle when the sun shines on them right. It makes me feel at peace."

So lost in her thoughts as she was, she might've been building castles in the air. The Eevee took another glance at her 'precious treasure' and she gripped it tightly. She planned on going back to the guild some other time. However, she knew that going at it alone again would solely result in backing down once more and more sadness to follow. She kept wondering about what she needed to keep from running away again well into the evening, even as the sun dipped its heavenly body into the horizon of the ocean.

With her thoughts being inconclusive, she stood from her spot on the beach and gave a mighty yawn. It would probably be best—she decided—if she went home for the night to get some rest. As she was about to leave however, she took one last look at the coast and noticed something that seemed out of place. "Huh… I wonder what that is," she muttered as she walked over to the thing in the sand.

Upon closer inspection, the Eevee realized it was the motionless body of a Pokémon; a Riolu to be more precise, though she'd rarely ever seen a Riolu before. Upon noticing this, her heart skipped a beat and she rushed to the Pokémon's side. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked nervously while pushing on his side, trying to get him to wake up. "C'mon! Please wake up!"

_[Stop Music]_

Her persistence seemed to do some good as she finally got the Riolu to groan. As he sat up, holding his head as if from a migraine, he blinked and looked up at the Eevee. "Uh… hello?" he said, unsure of what else to say.

The Eevee girl only huffed a bit, wearing a confused expression on her face. "Hello? I wake you up on a beach in the afternoon and all I get is a hello?"

The Riolu only cocked his head to the side. "I… don't understand what you mean," he responded.

The she-Eevee only put a paw forward and poked his forehead. "What happened to you, silly?" she asked, full of curiosity. "What are you doing out here on the beach? It's getting late, and the sun will set in an hour or so. Did you hit your head or something?"

The Riolu only felt at his head, wondering if he had gotten a bump. He frowned when he didn't find one, and his mind came up blank. "I… don't remember," he groaned as he tried to stand up, only succeeding in falling back into the sand.

"Oh, I guess that's too bad," the Eevee said. "So, tell me about yourself! I've never seen you around town before. Do you live nearby? Where'd you come from?"

The Riolu only shook his head and scrunched up his expression in thought. "Slow down. I can only answer one question at a time," he said, tapping his chin in thought. "But, come to think of it… I don't remember where I'm from either…"

The Eevee looked disconcerted, sitting down with her forelegs propping her up. "Weird. Riolu are Aura Pokémon, right? Aren't they supposed to have like… a good memory or something?"

The Riolu looked around, puzzled by her words for some reason. He finally glanced at her, his brow furrowed. "Riolu? Me?" he asked her. When she nodded slowly, he let out a loud laugh. "Oh, that's a good one! I'm not a Riolu; I'm a human! Haven't you ever seen a human before?"

The Eevee felt even less sure about the Riolu's sanity now than she did a few minutes ago. "I've seen a human before once, yeah," she assured him. "But you are definitely a Riolu."

The Riolu suddenly held a hesitant look on his face, though confused as he was. Out of his curiosity though, he decided to amuse the Eevee and he peered into tide to see his reflection… and found her to be absolutely correct. "What?" he asked as he looked at his paws, noting the spike that protruded from the back of them. "I don't understand. I _know _I was a human!" He beat himself over the head, trying to focus and bring some sort of reasoning for his transformation to mind. "Why can't I remember anything?"

The Eevee blinked, frowning to the Riolu. "So, you remember being a human, but you don't remember anything else?" she asked skeptically. "Is this a trick or something?" When she received a confident headshake from the Riolu, she sighed and the edges of her lips curled up into a smile. "Well then, you at least remember your name, no?"

The Riolu blinked again, scratching his head as he tried to think of something. He felt something ping in his mind, a word that seemed to fit itself in his mind perfectly, much like a key to its proper lock. "Aru," he said with some confidence. "My name… it's Aru."

After finally getting her answer, the Eevee nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Aru," she greeted him on a more friendly basis. She offered her paw forward and spoke again, "I'm Thali."

Aru smiled at Thali, taking her hand and finally standing up on his own two feet… though as he looked down, it looked more like he was standing on hind legs rather than normal legs. "So, anyway," Thali began to speak. "I was wondering if—"

She never got to finish her sentence when she was thrown back by a powerful force. She let out a grunt as she hit the ground and the two glanced over at her attackers; a Zubat and a Koffing. "Oh, whoops. Excuse us," Koffing said sarcastically.

Aru rushed over to Thali, helping her up and the Eevee lobbed a glare over to poison Pokémon duo. "Hey, what was that for?" Thali shouted at them, wincing a bit from the blow.

"No, please, don't get up," Zubat continued to tease them with a malicious smirk. "We came to mess with you. Ain't it obvious?" Thali and Aru could only remain silent; Thali was simply too shocked to do much of anything, while Aru was simply waiting things out, wondering what their goal was. It was soon shown when Zubat pointed to a small rock attached to a string laying in the sand. "That's yours, isn't it?"

Thali's quivering eyes widened in surprise when the Zubat picked up the stone and hung it around his neck. "Hey wait! That's my treasure!"

"Bingo, kid," Koffing said, another smirk beheld on his face. He noticed the Eevee's shaking and he snorted, "What's the matter, squirt? Ya' too chicken to take it back?"

Thali frowned, her ears flattening as held back tears welled up in her hazelnut eyes. The Zubat only chortled. "Thought so," he badgered the timid Eevee before flying past them, with Koffing following soon after. "See ya' around, morons."

As the duo of perpetrators disappeared into the nearby cave, Thali let out a disheartened respire. "But… that was my most precious treasure…" she whined, a kind of anxiety showing in her voice that implied that her confidence was on thin ice. She turned to Aru, her eyes glazed with hanging tears. "You… you have to help me get it back! Please?"

The Riolu looked taken aback, unsure of how to respond. He'd only met her a few minutes ago, and she was already asking for his help. However, concluding that it was the right thing to do, Aru nodded to her briefly. "Sure thing!"

No sooner than those words were said, the odd duo ventured into the cave.

^/\^|v\/v

Aru looked around the cave as they entered; an aura of uncertainty about him. Of course, the timid she-Eevee felt similarly, and a bit afraid as they entered. The Riolu simply tried to stick it out, glancing over to Thali and nodding. "So, tell me about yourself," he suggested, trying to lighten the mood in the dank cave.

Thali only nodded as she walked forward. "Well, I'm an Eevee," she stated. A blush suddenly crossed her and she shook her head. "You probably already knew that though. We—us Eevee, I mean—we're naturally really… um… what's the word for it?"

Though Aru pondered for a word to finish her statement, he was kept from doing it when a Shellos suddenly came out from around the corner in the cave. The Shellos, being native to the area and defensive of its territory, glared at the two and shot a wave of mud at the two. "Get down!" Aru yelled at Thali, tackling her to the Eevee to the ground to avoid the blow. Thali seemed scared stiff as Aru jumped up to defend her. In that instant, Aru threw forward a punch at the Shellos, sending it packing.

When Thali looked up, taking her forepaws off of her head, she noticed Aru helping her up. "I think the word you're looking for is timid? Maybe it's afraid?"

Thali pouted defiantly, trying to hide her blush and keep whatever pride she had left. "Yeah… something like that," she said. She took a glance back down at her newfound friend's paw and hummed thoughtfully. "You threw a pretty fast punch out there," she discovered. "For a moment there, it looked like it shined silvery or something."

"Yeah…" Aru muttered. He glanced at his paw again, clenching it; wondering how he had done something like that. "That's one of my… abilities or moves, right?"

Thali only nodded, deciding to take the lead. "Looked like it," she remarked with a keen eye. "And I'd say that was Bullet Punch. I didn't know Riolu could learn it."

The human turned Riolu only shrugged. "I guess I… didn't know I had it in me."

Thali simply nodded, going down a corridor and to a lower floor in the cave. "You never know," she said. Her best serious expression was put on as she looked down to lowest section of the cave. "They're probably stuck at the bottom. Y-you ready?"

Aru glanced at his companion, a bit shocked by her determination. Though her knees were trembling, threatening to drop her on the floor at any moment, he saw a fire that burned in her eyes, burning with a drive to get back her stolen treasure. Now that he focused on it, he could almost sense an orange aura around her, making her perseverance seem evident. The Riolu, after identifying all of this, bowed his head with a chuckle. "Yeah, let's go."

Upon entering, they found the duo of poison Pokémon looking about the small chamber. "Aw man, Koffing. I think this is a dead end," Zubat groaned as he searched around with echolocation. "There's not a single way out except the way we came in."

Koffing slowly turned around and nearly paled. "It looks like our only way out is gone, too!" he shouted as they were met with a pair of brown, scowling eyes.

_[Now Playing: __**"Thriller" by: Fall Out Boy**__]_

Zubat put on his most confident smirk, looking almost overconfident as he flew forward a bit. "Well, if it ain't the squirt and her tagalong," he mocked them. "What'd you come for?"

The Eevee only glared daggers at Zubat. "You know exactly what we came for!" Thali accused them. "I want my treasure back, now hand it over!"

The Zubat only scoffed, barring his fangs and preparing for a fight. "Not likely, kid," he taunted her. "You'll just have to take it back from us."

Though Thali gritted her teeth, still unsure about fighting, Aru patted her back and gave her a thumbs-up, stepping forward. "We can take them," he assured her before giving a piercing stare to the Zubat and Koffing. "You're on."

Aru smirked and rushed forward, trying out his Bullet Punch, but the Zubat swiftly dodged to right. Instead of staving off in case of another attack, Zubat rushed in for a flyby, knocking into Aru and throwing him to the side.

The Riolu rolled a bit, getting to his knees. Before he could stand up again, Koffing appeared in front of him, preparing to blow poisonous gas in Aru's direction. Before the gas was prepared, Aru rolled to the side and narrowly avoided the toxic fumes.

Getting up swiftly, the Riolu backhanded Koffing, sending the gaseous Pokémon reeling. Unbeknownst to Aru, Zubat appeared swiftly behind him and utilized his Supersonic move. The sound waves caused by the bat wracked the Riolu's ears, causing his vision to blur and his balance to wane, bring him to his knees. Still though, Aru stood back up and whisked by the Zubat, using his Quick Attack.

Thali could only watch from afar, amazed at how her companion so quickly jumped into battle. _All for my treasure, _she remembered. Her cheeks flushed as she made note of that, wondering for a moment why he had helped her at his own expense. She watched as Aru began battling with Koffing again, throwing powerful blows but not hitting the dodgy target.

However, as Thali watched her Riolu friend slowly tire, she caught sight of Zubat sneaking around to try and get a hit on Aru's blind spot. "Aru, watch out!" she called out to him, hoping that he would notice in enough time to dodge it. However, with enemies to his front and rear, Aru was unable to dodge the Zubat's attack as it was boastfully announced, "Poison Fang!"

Aru was taken by surprise when the bat Pokémon latched onto his shoulder, biting into him. He winced from the pain, and swatted the bat off of his shoulder, jumping back from the fight and gripping his shoulder, which was leaking with blood. He felt a pang in his shoulder and groaned, suddenly feeling weakness enswathe him.

"Aru!" she exclaimed as she rushed to look at his wound. However, when she spotted him fretting over such a small wound, she frowned. "What happened? What did he do?"

"Your friend is out of luck, kid," Zubat said with confidence. Though he had no eyes, he still managed a glower at the odd duo. "That's some of my most potent poison. If he's lucky, he'll get out of here with only unconsciousness. Worst case scenario, he dies." However, the bat realized at the end of his speech that the Eevee wasn't paying any attention to him and he groaned. "Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking!"

The Eevee only shook her head and she reached into the fur of her tail, pulling out a small pink fruit. "Eat this," she urged him as she pushed it up against his lips. "I may be scared, but I'm not stupid. Going up against poison enemies; I thought I'd pick up a Pecha Berry along the way. It should be enough to heal that poison."

Aru nodded to Thali as he took the berry in his mouth and swallowed it. The sweet taste made it easier for it to go down, and it wasn't long before he felt the toxic fatigue fade away as well. "Wow Thali, thanks. You really saved me right there."

Zubat only groaned as he watched the moment between the two, growing annoyed at their ignorance. "Hey, pay attention when I'm fighting ya'!" he shouted at them as he swept in for another attack.

Though Aru was still recovering from the poison, unable to react fast enough, he didn't need to. Eevee stood up confidently and briskly spun around, striking Zubat with her strong tail. "How do you like my Tail Whip, thief?" she boasted in her moment of brief triumph.

The Zubat was sent tumbling and he tried to no avail to relieve the buzzing in his head and the cloudiness in his vision. As soon as he was able to see again, he was met swiftly with Aru's Bullet Punch, which effectively kayoed him.

The Koffing looked to his fallen partner, to the stone that had fallen on the ground, and to his foes and began to panic. "A-alright, just take the rock!" he said as he heaved Zubat over his body. With his surrender given and dismay written all over the Koffing's face, he floated away as fast as his bloated body would carry him with his partner in crime slung over him.

Aru then turned to Thali and nodded. "I guess we should be getting out of here too, huh?" he suggested, panting from the exhaustion that the fight had brought on.

Thali bobbed her head in affirmation, picking her treasure up by the string and placing it around her neck. "Sure," she breathed out, also a bit tired. "Let's get going."

_[Stop Music]_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hooray! Finally a new chapter. Sorry to say that most of this is drawn out, but I'd have taken longer if I wanted to add more material. Besides, I wanted to develop a little something else here.**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Pokemon, Game Freak, Nintendo, or any other affiliated members or corps.**

**Claimer: I claim characters not under the jurisdiction specifically of the above mentioned. These include Aru, Thali, and other such characters to come that are not directly affiliated with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.**

* * *

_[Now Playing: __**"U.F.O." by: Coldplay**__]_

The two newfound friends, Thali and Aru, stumbled out of the sea cave in a bout of laughter. "You did pretty good back there, Thali," Aru complimented her, arousing a blush from the Eevee's cheeks. Aru then gave a playful chuckle. "You know, once you got over your fear."

Thali, embarrassed already by the compliment, pouted and looked up at Aru. "Hey, that's not fair to say!" she said. "Not everyone can lunge out recklessly into a battlefield. I don't have a clue how you survive doing that, even if you _were_ a human!"

Aru sighed, crossing his arms and looking away indignantly. "Hey, if we were gonna get your… treasure back; we had to fight them," he reasoned. "I was only taking the initiative." The Riolu suddenly blinked, a thought occurring to him that he hadn't thought of before. "Thali?"

Thali tilted her head to the side, wondering what he could want. "Yes?"

"Do you mind telling me what's so special about your treasure?" he asked. Hurriedly, his cheeks flaring a bright shade of red, he then added, "If it's not too much trouble, I mean."

The she-Eevee hummed a giggle before glancing back over to her friend. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever ask," she mused. Bringing her paw up to fish through her neck fur, Thali retrieved the small stone pendant looped in a string collar and she set it in the sand. "I found it one day, really. From a distance, it looks like a piece of junk, but look closer."

Aru leaned in and looked closer at the stone, noticing the four-pronged wing design set in the flat of the peculiar rock. "See that design?" she asked. "It's weird, isn't it? Before this thing, I've never seen a rune quite like that before—see I've always been interested in exploration."

"Exploration?" asked Aru, somewhat curious.

"Yeah, exploration," Thali responded. Her expression brightened up as thoughts of the subject came to her mind. "Visiting new places, exploring ancient ruins, or even discovering something that no one's ever heard of! I've always been fascinated by stories of great explorers who find new places and discover amazing treasures! Doesn't that just seem awe-inspiring?"

Aru tried to imagine, just for a moment, what she seemed to be feeling. _I suppose it might be intriguing… finding great treasure and exploring new lands… _he admitted thoughtfully.

Thali continued her great speech while Aru pondered on her emotions. "That's what I want to be like. I want to be one of the great explorers who goes off and finds new places. It's my goal to go where no Pokémon has gone before and to one day find out where my little relic fragment fits into everything."

The Eevee then gave another sigh and sat down in the sand, looking out at the fading horizon. "I tried to go up to the explorer's guild so I could apply to train for an exploration team," she admitted sadly. "But… I chickened out at the last moment. I've always been so timid and I just couldn't do it."

Aru let out a sigh and sat beside her, letting the water soak his feet as he patted her back. He could already see the tears forming in her eyes, and something inside him didn't want to see them fall. "Hey, c'mon Thali," he encouraged her. "I saw what you did back there in the cave. You can do this. All you need is a little push."

Thali bobbed her head to answer him, though she appeared to be in deep thought. "Aru? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Thali. What is it?"

Thali glanced up at the twilight sky, noticing the first star of the sky in the night and she sighed. "Where are you going to stay now?" she asked him. "You lost your memory, right? You've got no place to stay right now?"

Aru gave a sigh and pawed at the sand. "Yeah, you've got that right," he answered, forcing him to ironically remember that his amnesia had taken away all prior memories before that afternoon. "What's your point?"

A bit of hope glinted in the young Eevee's eyes as she leaned close, toward Aru. "I was wondering…" she began, "if you wanted to form an exploration team with me?"

_[Stop Music]_

**^/\^|v\/v**

…_**Syaoron the Fox presents…**_

_**...His First Pokémon Story…**_

_**Beyond the Sky**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Beginning Anew**_

**^/\^|v\/v**

Aru gave a sigh as he climbed the steps, following close behind Thali. He had caved in, of course. With a roll of his red eyes, he remembered the exact reason why he'd caved in in the first place; the hope hidden behind Thali's tearing eyes and his own defenselessness to her exploitation tactics. He blamed her for his submission, but when all had been said and done, he was rather interested in the matter of exploration. _Who knows? _he thought back on his decision. _Maybe I'll discover something about my memory by exploring with Thali?_

At the top of the hill sat the large teepee canopy that resembled Wigglytuff: the proclaimed legend that was the master of the guild. Before the guild's entrance was a grate made of sturdy wood and beside the entrance were lit totem poles resembling various pokemon; the top being Wigglytuff. _Talk about foreboding, _Aru thought. Just the crackling of the fire in the dark night was enough to set the Riolu on edge. _No wonder Thali is so afraid of this place._

After he had relished on his thoughts of the strange place, he looked back over to Thali and noticed that she was quivering. The young Eevee was struggling just to remain still and she breathed a huge sigh. "Alright… Alright…" she whispered under her breath, trying to encourage herself. "Aru's here with me; I can do this…"

With that imbued confidence, Thali looked back up toward the teepee, feeling newly invigorated. Keeping her newfound companion in mind, she stepped forward, settling on the grate. It still startled her of course when the voice sounded, and she shook in her sudden fright, but she remained there and bit her lip. After the examination of her Pokémon species and a few seconds of wait, a voice sounded, "Alright! You may enter!"

Thali gave a relieved sigh, stepping off the grating and giving a silent cheer before the voice boomed again. "Someone else is with you!" the voice stated the obvious. "Have the stranger stand on the grate!"

Thali blinked, looking back at a confused Riolu that was shaking his head about, as if trying to find this stranger. "I think he means you, Aru," she said, clarifying Aru's misconception.

"Alright then…" Aru gave a blank nod and looked down at the grate, turning it over in his mind. _What's up with this thing? _he wondered, analyzing it. _It's just a grate sure… It's put there so no one will fall through… But I don't know; it looks like it'll tickle my feet or something._

He was snapped out of his daze when he was promptly demanded once more to step onto the grate. Giving a deep sigh and deciding to analyze the grating further later, he stepped onto the grate and received a very much similar greeting.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is… the footprint… is…"

The two waited for a response, confused and wondering what was going on.

^/\^|v\/v

A groan had finally been elicited from the rather loud individual. "Is something wrong, sentry? Sentry Diglett, do you copy?"

Diglett, the apparent sentry Pokémon at the time, gave a sigh. Feeling rather unsure of his answer, he shouted back, "Uh… Maybe Riolu's! Maybe Riolu's!"

"Maybe? What kind of an answer is that?" the loud voice replied, clearly irritated. "That's a pretty crummy job, Diglett! Identifying the footprints of Pokémon; that's your job, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I don't know!"

^/\^|v\/v

Meanwhile, sitting outside the guild's entrance, Thali and Aru looked back and forth between the grate, the teepee, and each other. From below the grate, they could hear distant shouting, but couldn't make out the words that embodied that shouting. "Um… Are they arguing?" she asked, trying to open up conversation to Aru.

All the Riolu could do was shrug. Even as he tried to peer through the grating, he couldn't see the bottom because of the light contrast. "I'm not sure," he muttered, giving a nonchalant shrug. "I wish I could tell why they're taking so long."

Thali suddenly blinked, narrowing her eyes at Riolu. "Wait… you're not a bad Pokémon, are you?" she asked, preparing to take a stand as though she believed that thought for a moment.

Aru blinked. "Thali, of course I'm not!" he said. "I seriously lost my memory. I've got no idea how I got here. I'm not gonna turn around and stab you in the back."

Thali sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered. She looked back up to him, scuffing her paw against the floor. She figured that what she had just insinuated was rude; Aru was clearly lost in this new world. "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

Aru shook his head, waving aside her comment as if he were erasing a stray chalk mark on stone. "It's okay," he said with an understanding chuckle. "How could I not look a little suspicious? I'd call you crazy not to at least be a little suspicious of me."

After a few more moments' wait, they finally received a response from the booming voice. "Well, I _suppose _you don't see very many Riolu around here," said the voice dripping with hidden accusation. "But you don't appear to be bad. You too shall pass!"

Without another moment to spare, the steel bars that barred the entrance rose and allowed entrance. The screeching of the raised gate startled the two—Thali especially—and after they had calmed down, they snuck a little closer to observe it. "At least I finally get to go in," Thali whispered to herself, squealing in her excitement.

When they passed through the flaps of the tent, what appeared before them was less than expected. "Huh…" Aru mused as he gazed at the manhole in the ground; a ladder was built into the side of the entrance. "I guess we go down then." And with that, the two climbed down the wooden ladder, into the expanse below.

_[Now Playing: __**"The Cave" by: Mumford and Sons**__]_

When they arrived in the guild, it was much more than they had expected. An expansive lobby extended at the base of the first ladder, revealing a myriad of various Pokémon; of all types, species, and attitudes. Pokémon from round the world and all walks of life were gathered. Young and old, soft and seasoned, even Pokémon from separate ends of the world worked and spoke together. They were gathered around, talking amongst themselves or bragging about their latest explorations. One notable team—Team AWD—was currently talking up how they had discovered the famed Zero Isle. Some teams even spent a great deal of time telling tales of old; recanting stories of the great explorer Scizzor who vanished to the Blizzard Islands and never returned. So many Pokémon, from so many backgrounds of life; the mere image of it all stirred Thali to excitement.

"I say; are you the two fellows who just entered?" A voice from behind them greeted them rather formally in a singsong voice. Upon turning around to meet the cheery tone, the two noticed that the parrot Pokémon—with the striking feather atop its black head made to look like the flag of a musical note—was a rather colorful Chatot. "Now, we don't have any time for your silly surveys or that nonsense," he continued, waving a wing as if to flick them away. "Now shoo! We don't need any more miscreants invading our establishment."

Aru was overcome for a moment as the parrot exuded a vocabulary colorful enough to match his feathers. It was Thali who spoke up in his place, "No, mister Chatot sir. We actually came here to join the guild."

It almost appeared as if the parrot had been shocked, and he visibly recoiled. "Explorers, you say?" he asked them. He turned around, as if to think about things and he sighed. "It's hard to believe kids this young want to become explorers…" he muttered under his breath. "Especially considering the steady amount of recruits that run away from our vigorous training…"

Aru blinked, trying to catch the words that Chatot spoke and noting a few details. "Um, excuse me sir," the Riolu spoke up. "The training… it can't really be so difficult, can it?"

As soon as the question breached Chatot's ears, he swiftly turned to correct himself. Even if they might be hopeless, they could still bring in revenue for the guild, after all. "Oh no, not in the slightest!" he lied. "Our training is as easy and simplistic as can be! You haven't got a thing to worry about."

The two were yet again bewildered, this time by his careening attitude. "I wish you would have asked me about that in the first place," Chatot spoke while walking off. "Yes, if you want to become an exploration team, you will need to get yourselves registered with Guildmaster Wigglytuff… what are you waiting for? Do hurry along now. The Guildmaster has far more important business to attend, and this should be dealt with quickly."

With no further ado, the two rushed after Chatot, taking the second ladder down into the guild. There were less Pokémon here; only a few were going about and even they traveled with a sort of purpose about them. Thali wondered for a moment if they were all trainees as well. Chatot stopped them before a wooden door with a red symbol painted on it, resembling the face of the Guildmaster. _Wigglytuff sure does like to leave an impression, doesn't he? _Aru thought.

Chatot flapped his wings to draw their attention and then instructed them, "Now, on no circumstances are you to be rude to the Guildmaster. You will establish eye contact, you will hang on his every word, and you will treat him with the utmost respect. After all, he will be deciding if you are fit enough to be accepted." With all the mannerisms dispensed, Aru and Thali gave a quick nod and Chatot knocked on the door. "Guildmaster, it's Chatot. I'm coming in."

Chatot opened the door and allow the newcomers in, and they were able to walk in. What lay before them put them on edge. The Guildmaster lay at the end of the hall, a foreboding feeing invading their senses. The crackling of fire on torches set an odd light on the Guildmaster. Even if he was a large, pink rabbit with large blue eyes and a big white stomach… and maybe he looked cuddly. Even then, the Guildmaster casted an unreadable gaze that they couldn't quite figure out.

The overwhelming aura of mystery gave shivers to Thali, and even Aru was quivering a bit. The Guildmaster was an unreadable character, simply staring. It almost seemed as if the gaze bored into their very souls; seemed as though he was judging them before a word could even be said.

_[Stop Music]_

Chatot finally took his moment after the long dramatic pause to speak up. "Guildmaster, I present to you these two Pokémon who wish to join us as apprentices," he said, speaking with a tone that would support the argument that he was always haughtily formal before Wigglytuff. "They are rather young as you can see, and I suggest you take that into account before you allow them into the guild."

_[Now Playing: __**"Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" by: Tiny Tim**__]_

Chatot gave a blink, looking at the Guildmaster oddly. He had not given a response in quite a while, and it was beginning to bother him. The two were put on edge, waiting for the Guildmaster's response. Taking this opportunity, Chatot flew up and perched by the Wigglytuff's ear, whispering in his ear. It was only then that the Guildmaster was roused and he looked down at the two newcomers.

"Hi-ya!" Wigglytuff suddenly shouted, jumping down from his throne and greeting them, with firm handshakes that left the Pokémon befuddled and shaken. "You want to become explorer trainees? Well, yippee! Let's get started right away! You have a team name, right?"

The two were so overcome by Wigglytuff's rambunctious personality in that moment that they had to look back and forth between each other before Thali finally spoke up and recited the name. "It's Team Unity!" she shouted excitedly. "To function properly as a team in exploring, you need to be like family or close friends! You need to function like one, not like just individuals."

The Guildmaster gave a nod and smiled. "Wonderful!" he shouted before taking it down on some paper and shouting into the air, "YOOMTAH!" A great echo of the voice boomed throughout the base. "You two are now officially explorers! Team Unity is now registered!"

Aru leaned over to Thali, whispering in her ear, "Is this the Wigglytuff you've been afraid of this whole time?" When the Eevee gave an unsure, slow nod, Aru chuckled and patted her back. "I think it's safe to say you had nothing to worry about."

"Shut up."

"I mean, unless you have a chronic fear of… clowns, or something."

"I said, _shut up._"

It was then that Wigglytuff dug around in the expansive area behind his throne. Aru and Thali stood stalk still, looking at the Guildmaster and giving looks of strangeness. _Is this guy… real? _Aru wondered when suddenly Wigglytuff appeared before them, a small chest in his hands.

"Here is your official Exploration Team kit," Wigglytuff presented them with the chest, his eyes glistening with excitement like a newborn seeing the world. Disregarding the strange character of the Guildmaster however, the two peered inside the chest in their own excitement. "In there, you should find a Treasure Bag, your explorer's badge, and a Wonder Map," Wigglytuff explained while hopping back up on his intricately designed throne. "The Treasure Bag stores everything you need for your journeys! Your Wonder Map will show anywhere you need to go, and your badge will prove your identity as explorers."

They took up the useful items, cheering together before Wigglytuff interrupted their cheering. "From this moment on, you two will be training and living at the guild!" he announced to them. "Oh joy; new friends!"

Though Wigglytuff had turned out to be more or less than expected, it didn't stop the two's eyes from glistening with the great sensation of succession, having finally attained membership to the guild. The rest of the time in the presence of the Guildmaster was spent gleefully, rejoicing for the arrival of the new team.

_[Stop Music]_

^/\^|v\/v

It was only later that night that the two were finally left to themselves. Chatot decided it was too late into the night to give them a tour of the facilities and he decided rather to merely show them to their barracks. It was a small, simple room with beds of mounded, bound grass. A lone window lay to the side, letting in a divided beam of pale light.

Thali was still feeling her unrestrained sense of amazement. "I can't believe it," she hummed, relishing on the wonders of that day. Many strange things had happened to her that day. She discovered a Pokémon lying flat out on the beach, with no recollection of his past and only knowledge of his name. Her precious treasure was stolen, and then this mysterious Riolu helped her recover it. Best of all though…

"I finally made it… I'm finally an explorer!" squealed Thali as she gazed up into the night sky. All her hopes and dreams could now be fulfilled to her; the world was an expansive slate, waiting for her to leave her mark as one of the greats. She turned at that moment and gazed at her partner. In deep thought, Aru gazed up at the ceiling. The animated Eevee gave a sudden sigh and whispered meekly, "And it's all thanks to you, Aru."

Aru perked his ears up and prostrated himself, looking over at Thali. "What?" he asked, bewildered by her sudden appreciation. "You were the one who was able to get up there and be brave. You don't have to thank me for anything."

"But that's just it; I do need to thank you," Thali immediately responded. A smile stretched its way onto her lips as she nuzzled her cheek against his. "You know, just you being there really made me feel… stronger," she explained, gazing with her hazelnut eyes into his fiery orbs. "I felt like I could really stand up for myself, even over the loud noises that I usually run away from. I have to thank you for being here… with me."

Aru blushed a bit, shaking his head. "Oh, it's no problem at all," he said as he tried to hide his fierce red-flushed cheeks in the darkness. "After all, I have no other place to go, right?"

"Still, thank you."

A bit of silence fell between them. Only the beam of moonlight on the floor separated them. It was with a smile that Thali spoke up once more, "Wigglytuff was nice, right?"

Aru huffed, laughing a short while after that. "He's a strange Pokémon, that's for sure." More than strange, as they both thought. Wigglytuff was outgoing, friendly, and even childish. Nothing like they had expected—which was a figure that was much more terrifying. No, this Wigglytuff was a strange fellow and he seemed to have such happiness about him all the time. Perhaps the stories about his fearsomeness were a farce?

A burst of laughter arose from Thali, elicited by her comrade's words, and when they subsided she drew on a long breath and glanced at his eyes again. Eyes that shone like a youngling's eyes; with wonder and curiosity in a world they were completely new to. Again she was reminded of his amnesia and she gave a sigh. "I'm sorry."

The amnesic Riolu in question twitched his head over to her upon hearing the apology. "You're… sorry?" he asked. "What is there to be sorry for? I don't understand."

Thali let out a tiny giggle, soon sighing as she sobered up. She looked back on the day once more, her eyes trying to focus on anything but him at the moment. "It seems like I've been having you run around all day… doing things for me," she admitted shamefully. "First you helped me get my Relic Fragment back… Then you helped me get into the guild. You even formed an exploration team with me! And I haven't been considerate enough to remember that you lost your memory…"

Aru shrugged. He had not dwelled on that, even in his own right to dwelling. He figured there was no point in lingering on what had been, and he decided to move on. "It's no trouble at all, Thali," he said, stopping any further apologizing. Even as she was lifting a paw to object, Aru stretched his own paw out and laid it upon hers, pushing it back down. "I mean it," he cut her off. "No more apologizing. I'm starting a new life, and those were _my _decisions."

Thali, though hesitant, conceded the argument and smiled brightly to him. Her brown fur glistened in the light of the moon as she curled up on the adjacent bed. "You know, Aru? I'm really lucky to have met you," she murmured softly. It wasn't long before she was whisked away by the night to a restful wonderland.

Aru was unfortunately incapable of falling asleep then and there. Too many thoughts had begun to plague his mind and the unending cycle of thought after thought led long into the night. _So… I've joined an exploration guild with a Pokémon I met a few hours ago so I can help her accomplish this dream of hers… Yeah, not the most normal way to start your new life, _he thought while contemplating what had happened. _Being in an exploration team might help me find your memory… or it might not. I might end up never figuring out what my old memories were. I'll never know what I used to be like…_

Then, as he finally glanced over to Thali, with fur shining like the moon's light and her paced, peaceful breathing, he felt content. _It may not help me find my memory, but… She's happy. That makes me happy, I suppose. _It was only then, with his thoughts resolved and his intents made clear, that he was able to escape into his own slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys! I finally got it posted. The real note will be down at the end so as not to spoil anything.**

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Pokemon, Nintendo, GameFreak, or other related corporations. The majority of the plot is a rewritten representation of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. The music is copyright of it's specified owner. Please support the official release.**

**Claimer: I claim and own changed or added plot material, as well as the original characters Aru and Thali. **

* * *

_[Now Playing: __**"Adding to the Noise" by: Switchfoot**__]_

"Hey! Wake up! It's morning!"

Aru rolled in his hay bed, his ears ringing from the noise. He snapped his eyes open and shot up. He could swear he heard Thali's screams of terror behind the ringing. As soon as his vision cleared, Aru looked over to see Loudred standing at the door, looking nothing short of furious. "I said GET UP you maggots! You're going to miss morning cheers if you don't get out here!"

It was with slight reluctance that the odd duo stumbled out of their room and into the briefing area where the rest of the crew was. "Ah, there you are," Chatot remarked, nodding to a spot for them to file in. "Get in line you two. We will hear from Guildmaster Wigglytuff soon." With only a yawn escaping Thali, the two trudged into line.

Not long after, Wigglytuff burst forth from his doors and everyone quieted down. They waited for the Guildmaster's words, hanging onto their breath almost. The only noises that Wigglytuff seemed to make were a few snores and giggling fits.

"Can you believe it?" Croagunk muttered aside to Bidoof. "He's fast asleep."

"Yup yup… That's our Guildmaster."

"Eek! And his eyes are wide open too!" Sunflora gasped.

Chimeco giggled. "Yes, isn't it just fascinating?" she mused, jingling a bit.

Chatot sighed as he redirected his attention to the guild members. _Not again… _he thought, flapping his wings to get their attention. "Thank you, Guildmaster, for your wise words of… wisdom," Chatot nearly choked on his words. "Come now, recruits! Where are your cheers?" Then, with the incitation and a little count off…

"One, don't shirk work! Two, run away and pay! Three, smiles go for miles!"

"Alright, Pokémon!" Chatot shouted. "Get to work!"

"Hooray!"

The gathering of guild recruits immediately dispersed upon Chatot's order. However, the parrot Pokémon took the time hereafter the morning cheers to call over Thali and Aru. "You two, don't just dawdle around," he chastised them, waving a blue and yellow wing. "Come, I will guide you around the guild."

Chatot gave the complete lowdown to the new recruits when they arrived on the first floor and turned over to one of the boards. "This is the request board," Chatot told them. "Here, you will take up missions that Pokémon put out. Allow me to pick one out for you."

Chatot shuffled around the board and found and appropriate note, and handed it over to Thali. She sat on her hind legs and took the note in her forepaws, reading the message, _"Hello, this is Spoink here. You see, a few days ago, the pearl that sits atop my head was stolen by some foolish miscreant! I simply can't sit still without my pearl in its proper place on my head. However, I've heard that my pearl has been sighted in the Drenched Bluff. Please, wondrous explorer, fetch me my pearl!"_

Thali looked up at Chatot with a blank expression. She looked back down to the note, and then flared up. "What? You want us to go play fetch? This is a waste of time!" she exclaimed. "I want to go on a big adventure! Discover new places and find new treasures and…"

"Be quiet!" Chatot scolded her. "All great explorers must start somewhere. Every great explorer started just as you are; running errands and going into mystery dungeons to gain experience."

"Oh…" Thali muttered, scuffing her paws against the ground. "I guess it's okay then."

The two traveled back to their room and checked thee bag of items. Considering Aru's bipedal nature, he naturally carried the bag. They laid the map out on the bed and look over it. "Huh… Looks like we got a bit of a way to go," Thali said, pointing to two points on the map; theirs and the location of the Drenched Bluff.

Aru dragged his forepaw across his face. "It's gonna be a long day."

_[Stop Music]_

**^/\^|v\/v**

…_**Syaoron the Fox presents…**_

…_**His First Pokémon Story…**_

_**Beyond the Sky**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**The Dimensional Scream**_

**^/\^|v\/v**

That mission had, of course, gone well. It was one of the lowest ranks they offered: a D rank. Thali was ecstatic at first upon returning the pearl, since the Spoink had offered them two-thousand Poké and several medicines for strengthening themselves. However, upon retrieval of the vast award of money, Chatot demanded they hand it over. "You are guild recruits, and thus, your payment to us is through the reward," he said, cutting them a lowly ten percent pay of two-hundred.

"But we worked hard for that money…" Thali muttered, sighing as she trudged back to the room, Aru coming up in tow.

"Hey, it's not all bad," Aru said, trying to perk his partner up. "At least they can't take away the experience of exploring. Isn't that what you came here for?"

Thali looked back at him, frowning a bit and giving a sigh. "Yeah… I guess," she muttered. "I kinda need the money too."

Aru sought an answer in her eyes and frowned, noticing the steeled look she attempted to keep. "Oh… I guess you don't want to talk about it?"

"Not really, no."

Aru frowned at how quickly she had answered. When they lay down to go to bed that night, he looked across over to her. She had her back turned toward him again, as she had so many of the previous nights. He wished horribly to ask what was bothering her so much, but he figured it was too late to ask when she fell asleep. "Maybe some other time…"

^/\^|v\/v

_[Now Playing: __**"Charlie Brown" by: Coldplay**__]_

Another night of restful sleep was equal to another morning of abrupt awakening with Loudred's shouts. Good mornings were exchanged between the two before they meandered down the hall to shout the morning cheers before a complete dispersion. Chatot called the two over for another briefing and they headed upstairs and turned left to another board. "Wait… didn't we take a notice from the other board yesterday?" Aru pointed out, being the more aware one at the moment.

"Most precise of you," Chatot denoted in a singsong voice that was natural to his species. "Yes, this is the Outlaw notice board, where you take up the offer for a bounty on hardened criminal masterminds or even rubbish petty thieves. Everything from pickpockets to world dominators can be found here."

Thali frowned, her ears folding back against her head to show her clear discomfort. "Huh… sounds scary," she muttered, just loud enough for them to hear.

"I assure you it's not so," Chatot reassured Thali, looking over the post of various outlaws in the sketched witnesses. "I'm sure we can find something that's fairly easy for you new recruits. In the meanwhile, why don't you go out and tour the town? I'm sure Recruit Bidoof will be able to show you around."

Eagerly, of course, the beaver Pokémon that was mentioned rushed out from second floor at the call of his name. "Yup! I'll positively do just that Chatot!" he answered up, a fired-up look in his eyes. "I can take it from here, yup!"

Chatot blinked, surprised at Bidoof's display of energy. "If you are so sure, then go by all means," he said. "Come back when you are ready."

Bidoof looked over to the two and smiled. "Aw shucks, it's nice not to be at the bottom of the barrel," he mused, blushing a bit. "I ought to show you around, huh? See, I was the newest recruit before y'all came."

Introductions were handed around before Bidoof guided them to the various stations set in the guild: Croagunk and his cauldron of unknown use, Chimeco and her preparations in the mess hall, the Guildmaster's quarters, and then the barracks before he continued outside the guild.

Down the massive climb of stairs, and taking a turn at the crossroads, Bidoof introduced them to the Treasure Town. "This here's the local stop for any traveling Pokémon," the beaver Pokémon explained. "Ya see, each of the five exploration guilds has an outpost nearby. There's one guild for every environment in the world: the marine guild, the sky guild, the subterranean guild, and the earth guild—ours.

"Wait, you only listed four guilds," Aru spoke up, looking over to Bidoof in slight confusion. "What's the fifth one?"

Bidoof gave a sigh and shrugged. "I'm not the kind of person you want to ask for that," he said simply, as if he didn't really care for it. "Guildmaster Wigglytuff might tell ya, or Chatot. They know stuff." The beaver Pokémon glanced around town and smiled. "There's a bank so you can store your money, and mama Kangaskhan handles items. The Kecleon Brothers handle item sales, and that's really all that's open right now."

Noticing that the Unity founders were trying to take everything they had just learned in, Bidoof backed off and nodded. "I'll let you take a look around then."

The duo hardly even noticed that Bidoof had left when they walked through the commerce. "It's a lively place, huh?" Aru mused, glancing around at the various stores. Gleeful vendors greeted smiling customers, and everything was generally bright. "What do you think, Thali?"

Thali shifted a bit in her walking, feeling almost uncomfortable when one of the Kecleon brothers gave her a glare. The chameleon Pokémon quickly hid it though, as was his nature. "It's peachy," she muttered.

"Well, hello there customers!" the green Kecleon greeted them, carrying himself with a professional air. "Take a look at our stock; I'm sure we have something to your interest."

Aru looked over to Thali and asked whether or not they should get something. However, she refused to speak and he sighed, taking the pack off his back and counting their coin. "Huh… I've got a thousand," he muttered. "Can I get a few of those Oran and Pecha berries?" he asked, looking at the labeled container of seeds.

"Ah, yes, a fine selection," the purple Kecleon said, handing the berries over in exchange for the required Poké. A short silence passed while Aru packed away the berries before two young Pokémon ran up to the counter of the Kecleons' shop.

The young Pokémon, an Azurill and a Marril, looked up to the vendors with smiles. "Hey, Misters Kecleons! Can we buy some apples?" the Azurill spoke up in short squeaks.

While the exchange between them was working, Thali suddenly squealed to Aru. "They're so cute!" she said.

Aru blinked and looked down at the kids and then back to Thali. "Are you okay?" he asked her. "What's with you all of a sudden?"

"They're just so cute!" she whispered, trying to keep quiet. Aru could only roll his eyes and laugh at his partner's musings.

It wasn't too much later that, after the young Pokémon went off, they returned hastily. "Misters, you gave us one apple too many!" Marril said.

"Oh, have no worry young ones," green Kecleon replied. "That is a gift from us."

"Thank you!"

As the Kecleon soon explained to the Unity that the two were brothers, younger and older respectively. They were caring for their sick mother, and that was why they had taken on such great responsibilities. Suddenly, an apple from down the road came rolling by and stopped at Aru's feet. Azurill ran back from down the road, and Aru handed the apple to him. "Thank you," he muttered before running back with Marril.

_[Stop Music]_

It was then that everything seemed to slow down for Aru. His vision blurred heavily and colors seemed to change and swirl. _Huh? _he thought, groaning as he pressed his paw against his forehead. _What is this? _The colors and his vision continued to swirl. A ringing grew in his ears and his breathing got shallow.

All of a sudden, his sight and all noises were cut off before a sharp, piercing noise reached his ears and a blinding flash of light met him. _"H-H-HELP!" _a squeaky voice cried out before he finally faded back.

He looked up suddenly, remembering that he was still in the market. "Aru?" Thali spoke up, trying to get his attention. Aru looked down to her, blinking to try and focus again. "Aru, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said to her hesitantly. He pondered the voice for a little while, wondering whose it was.

"You know, you were staring off into the sky for like… ten minutes," Thali said to him, appearing concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Did you hear a scream?" he asked suddenly, glancing between the Kecleon brothers and Thali. "Anyone?"

Thali shook her head. "No, I didn't hear anything," she responded. The same response was given by the two Kecleons. "Maybe you were just imagining it?"

"Yeah… sure," Aru said, following her as they began walking back to the guild, now prepared for their next mission. _I know I heard it, though… _he thought, pondering back to the sound of the voice. _That was Azurill's voice, I know it._

Thali, unaware of her partner's thoughts, glanced around as they walked back to the guild and noticed that the two brothers were speaking to a Drowzee. "You'll really help us find our missing item?" Marril asked, a feeling of elation enlightening him. "Oh, thank you kind sir!"

Drowzee smiled at the two. "Oh, come now. I'd be hardhearted to turn away such nice kids like you in this cold world," he said to them as he began to guide them away. As he left with them, he kicked Aru in the shin by accident. "Oh, excuse me," he said as he continued to lead the children.

Aru blinked as he watched the Drowzee walk away. For the slightest moment, he thought he saw a malevolent gleam in the elder Pokémon's eyes before he was distracted by another massive headache. _Ugh… another… _he groaned.

A second vision came to him through a piercing light. He noticed Azurill and the Drowzee in a mountainous area, and it seemed that no one else was around. _"If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you," _Drowzee threatened the Azurill, glaring at him.

It was then that Azurill's shrill shriek was given, _"H-H-HELP!"_

The vision cut off and he woke, his blue complexion blanching at what he saw. Again, Thali looked back at him and frowned. "Aru, something's wrong. What is it that you're not telling me? You're acting really weird…"

Aru proceeded to describe the events of the dream to her. As soon as he was done, a moment of heavy silence intruded before she gave a bit of a laugh. "Oh Aru, you must have been having some kind of daydream or something," she claimed. "Drowzee seemed like such a nice Pokémon too. I don't believe that he would have done that."

Aru maintained a completely serious expression. "But I'm sure of what I saw!"

"Maybe it's the heat? It is the peak of summer," she argued. She scuffed her paws against the ground and sighed. "What you describe sounds pretty serious… but I just don't think that a Pokémon that nice would do something like that."

The two remained there, staring one another in the eye before Thali sighed. "Let's just get back to the guild," she said, turning around and leading the way with Aru close behind to follow.

Upon returning to the guild, the two took a gander at the wanted board, trying to discern a decent target. Chatot spoke up to them, "Since it's your first mission, I shall choose a criminal that should be easy enough for you to capture."

However, as Chatot gazed intently at the board, Thali began to shake and she backed away from the board. "A-Aru…" she whispered to him, catching the attention of the Riolu and of Chatot. "Top left corner of the board… do you see the Pokémon there?" Aru looked in the mentioned spot and widened his eyes as he saw a mirror image of the Drowzee they had seen not long ago. "Do you think it's him?" Thali asked.

Aru nodded, for even in the rough drawing of the Pokémon, he could still feel the malevolence in his so carefully illustrated glare. "It's definitely him," he muttered. The two gave firm nods to each other before they both ran out of the guild.

Though it was futile, Chatot squawked and shouted, "Hey! Where are you off to?!"

^/\^|v\/v

As the Unity duo crossed over into an increasingly mountainous region, they came upon Marril who was fraught with worry. "You two! Oh, I'm so glad you're here!"

"Marril, what's going on? What's wrong?" Thali asked, frowning at the obvious displeasure the young, blue mouse Pokémon showed.

"Azuril and Drowzee disappeared off to somewhere," Marril muttered. "I didn't see where to…"

"That's all we need. I saw them in a mountainous area," Aru explained, giving a brief nod to Thali before running ahead.

Thali gulped, feeling a bit of quivering nervousness that she quickly forced away, running after Aru. She knew he would need her help. "Careful in there, Aru! This mountain is a mystery dungeon," Thali warned him and he blinked.

"This is a mystery dungeon?" Aru asked her, unaware of a bird Pokémon coming straight for him.

"Aru!" Thali shouted suddenly, charging forward and ramming into the Pokémon with a powerful tackle. The Pokémon fell to the floor, unconscious, giving them the chance to identify it as a black and white Starly. Thali looked over to Aru and sighed. "Yes, it's a mystery dungeon. It mightn't have looked like it at first, but it is."

Aru gave a sigh and nodded. "Um… yeah, right," he said as they began to trek up.

A variety of pokemon were here, most that they could handle. There were a few dangerous times when they were snuck up upon by a Pokémon they had a type disadvantage against, such as a Starly or the fighting Machop in Thali's case. They had each other's backs though, and it was relatively easy.

Once they reached the peak, they noticed a scene, just as Aru had described. Drowzee was looming over Azuril, casting threatening words to the youngling. It enraged Thali to see it, and with a nod to Aru, the duo strode forward. "Stop right there, Drowzee!" the she-Eevee shouted.

_[Now playing: __**"Lost in the Echo" by: Linkin Park**__]_

Drowzee turned around, surprised to find someone else up here. "Huh? It's you two, from the market!" he growled, suddenly remembering them. "What are you doing here?"

Aru smirked. "We're the Unity, an exploration team sent out to capture you and bring you to justice," he warned Drowzee, flashing their official badge.

Drowzee panicked a bit. "W-what? An exploration team, here?" he wondered, cursing himself for not being more secretive about his abduction. However, upon giving a second gaze to Thali's shaking form, he smirked. "Oh, I see. An exploration team made up of total rookies," he taunted them. "Yes, I'm an outlaw. You really think you can take me down?"

Thali, through her nervous shaking, looked over to Aru, then glared at Drowzee and shouted, "Y-yes! Yes we can!"

Drowzee flexed his forefingers, a gesture indicating he was ready for them. "Then come at me."

Aru growled and nodded, rushing forward with a speedy Bullet Punch aimed for Drowzee's gut. "Aru, wait! He's a Psychic type!" Thali shouted to him, but her warning came just a bit too late. Drowzee raised a hand, glowing with magenta colored energy.

"Confusion!" the psychic convict called out, stopping Aru in his tracks and causing his move to fail. Aru felt pain wrack against his head, his vision blurring and swimming.

Thali sighed and opened her mouth wide, a sphere of dark energy forming before her. "Shadow Ball!" she announced as she fired the energy at Drowzee, causing him to back away and releasing Aru from the telekinetic hold of Drowzee.

Aru stumbled back next to her and she sighed. "Don't do that. We need to work together," she chastised him, calming herself from her fears. She fished her paws through the pack while Drowzee was recovering from her attack. She grabbed a small seed and smiled. "Here's a quick seed I picked up on the way. You can use that to get past his attacks."

Aru nodded to her and smiled, taking the seed and ingesting it. Immediately he felt lighter on his feet, and he began to run circles around Drowzee till he became a mere blur of blue. _Such intense speed… _he thought as he suddenly jumped out of his circular path and struck Drowzee with a few hardened Bullet Punches.

The battered Pokémon backed away, knowing that he wouldn't be able to track the blinding speed of the Riolu till the quick seed's effects wore off. Till the, he reached for an orb he had and smashed it on the ground, releasing a blinding light that caused Aru to stagger.

"Now… where's the runt," Drowzee grumbled as he looked and saw Thali, still trying to recover from the light burst. He walked up to her and aimed his psychic powers for her. "Confusion!"

Thali was met with swirling colors and wracking headache, causing her to yield all other options and simply try to stumble away. The colors swirled faster, causing the pain to increase, before finally she was released. She blinked to make sure she had actually gotten better before she turned around to seek Drowzee.

She stepped back when she saw Aru lying there on the ground. Her legs quivered and she frowned. His form was littered with lacerations and jutting bones. He coughed up blood and looked over to her, before falling back, limp. "A-Aru… Aru no!" she shouted, running over to him and pressing her paws down on his chest. "You can't leav… You can't! I need your help!"

Drowzee smirked at her and nodded over to Aru. "Your friend's gone," he told her, his arms crossed. "You couldn't protect him. He wasn't strong enough. You failed."

"Shut up…" Thali mumbled.

"You left him to die; sent him on a suicide mission. He could never beat me, and certainly not without your help. You're such a coward. His bleeding, broken corpse is proof enough of that."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Thali shouted, tears flowing from her eyes.

"It's your fault he's dead," Drowzee accused her.

Thali collapsed in her tears, crying and weeping. She _had _killed him. It was her fault he died. She knew it now. And she was going to die with him…

"_Thali…"_

She perked up, wondering where the familiar voice was coming from. She focused on it, blinking. "Aru? Is that you?"

"_Thali… You need to wake up."_

"What are you talking about?"

"_Wake up Thali!"_

Thali blinked a few times and snapped her eyes open to see that Aru was beside her and, while he was injured with a cut to his left arm, was not dead. "Aru, you're alive!" she shouted hugging him tightly.

They weren't able to relish it long and Aru took Thali up in his arms, dodging a blast from Drowzee's Psywave attack. "Thali, if I can get in there and paralyze him with Force Palm, you should be able to hit him Shadow Ball again."

"Wait, when did you learn Force Palm?" Thali asked, blinking.

Aru shrugged as he looked at his hand, pulsating with some bodily power. "Just recently," he said to her. "I'm going in one last time. I'm counting on you."

Thali blinked at him and nodded, ducking another blast of psychic power. "Go ahead, Aru," she said to him, smiling softly. She believed in him, if anything.

Aru nodded, and began to run, dodging attacks in a serpentine manner. Drowzee tried focusing on his movements, and fired another Psywave blast that he was sure would hit. Just when he thought victory was at hand, Aru jumped swiftly above the attack and smirked. "Take this; Force Palm!" Aru announced, hammering the psychic Pokémon with an attack that left Drowzee incapable of movement. "Now, Thali!"

Thali nodded to him, focusing a ball of dark energy before firing it at Drowzee, rendering the convict unconscious. "We did it…"

"Yeah," Aru said, patting her back. "We did."

_[Stop Music]_

^/\^|v\/v

Once things had blown over, and the Unity had received the meager reward of three-hundred—a reward to which Thali had protested greatly—the duo lied down in their beds and gave a sigh. "Thali?"

Thali looked over and sighed. "Yes, Aru?"

"Before we go to bed… can I ask you why you need the money so badly?"

Thali sighed and shook her head, rolling over on her side. "No."

Aru frowned and sighed, wondering if there was anything he could do. Even though the only thing that separated them was a beam of moonlight, he felt like there was a whole wall between them. "Why won't you tell me?"

Thali sighed and curled up with her tail. "You'll hate me."

"I'm not that kind of person, Thali," he said to her, rubbing his paw on her back in an attempt to coax her out. "I don't hate people because of things they've done. You're a good person now. I know that."

Thali sighed and hummed, feeling a bit comforted. She rolled over, snuggling up against Aru's chest. "You promise?" she asked, looking up at his eyes.

Aru blushed and nodded. "I promise."

The Eevee girl gave a soft sigh and snuggled his warm body. "My family has been having difficulties getting money," she muttered. "I send them a little money every now and then."

"What's so bad about that?" Aru asked her.

Thali gave a sigh. "The fifth guild that Bidoof never talked about is the Thieves' Guild. I became part of it to steal money for my family. After a few years, I learned that what I was doing was wrong… so I tried to join Wigglytuff's Guild. But, I was afraid they'd recognize me as a member of the Thieves' Guild and kick me out. That's why I was so incapable of going in on my own. I need the money to pay not only my family now, but all the people I've stolen from too."

A short silence existed between the two. Thali waited for a response, and when she got none she assumed the worst. "You hate me now, don't you?"

Thali was surprised when the arms that were wrapped around her held her tighter. "Thali… I don't hate you at all," he whispered.

"What? Why?" she asked, confused.

Aru only chuckled. "You might have taken a few wrong turns. But you took them for the right reason," he said to her. "And you're trying to be a better person now, right? That's good."

Thali looked up to her, a smile cracking on her lips. "You silly Riolu," she muttered, snuggling him and sighing. "Trying to make me feel better… Thank you, Aru."

"No need to thank me, Thali."

Thali gave a sigh and hummed. "Goodnight, Aru."

"Goodnight, Thali."

* * *

**The REAL AN: Alright people. For those of you who have played PMD: EoS, you are aware that I just skipped the whole mission with Spoink's pearl. Please, that's an introductory mission, with no addition to the plot, i.e. the reason why I skipped it. You may see this happen several times with unnecessary material being cut out so I have more time for original material.**

**And a special shout out note on behalf of Nobel Six and I. We are currently working on a fanfiction for a lesser known branch called NFL Rush. It has no category, thus it is in the miscellaneous cartoons section. I encourage you to read it if it is to your interest.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** **Alas, another chapter! This will be the first chapter with minor plot that diverts from the original plot, so tell me what you think of this new development. **

**Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Nintendo, Game Freak, Pokemon, or this plot from _Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. _All music is merely suggested and owned by its corresponding artist.**

**Claimer: I own the changed or added plot devices, such as the five guilds and this chapter. I own the characters Aru and Thali, though not the concept of Riolu and Eevee.**

* * *

_[Now Playing: __**"If" by: Acoustic Eidolon**__]_

Days passed quickly for team Unity. Days turned into weeks, and before they had even known it, a month had passed for the duo. Quickly, the two had grown in skill and in efficiency as a team, developing a friendly bond that tested many grueling hours of work in dungeons.

That was not to say that they grew only to themselves. They began to grow out into the community that the guild encompassed, began to grow to feel that they were akin to family. They smiled in the good times, stuck through the hard times, and laughed at the musings of their Guildmaster as one. One great brotherhood was what had become of them.

And in the great world of explorers, the name of Unity was starting to become known to explorers and even to the higher-ups in guild society. Even just small rumor of them had reached the executive guild council. They advanced in not just rank, but also in popularity. Yes, the young aspiring explorers were slowly growing and extending their reach.

But for now, the growing explorers were relaxing for the night. After exchanging stories with others over a nice hot meal, they hit the hay of their beds with a resounding thud. It had been another hard day's work. "It was a tough day, huh?" Thali asked Aru, feeling exhausted.

Aru nodded, a smile stretching over his lips. He sat beside her, letting the moonlight grace them softly. "It was. It was a tough job, but overall we did it."

"Yeah…"

Aru figured this was gonna be one of those nights where she wouldn't talk much—just rest up against his chest, breathing and purring softly, trying to fall asleep. He figured that right then might have been the best time for him to show her and he fished his paw through the treasure bag, pulling out a small fabric piece. He tied it upon the base of her left ear, causing her to blink in surprise. "Aru? What are you doing?"

The Riolu only chuckled a bit. "I'm just tying this little bow on your ear. I found it at the market, and I had to get it," he whispered to her. The pink bow on her ear seemed fitting, and when she looked at her reflection in the glass, she blushed. "I hope you like it," Aru hummed.

Thali blushed and looked up, into his crimson eyes. "Aru, I…" she muttered, speechlessly trying to come up with something to say. They remained silent for a moment, only gazing into each other's eyes. Finally, the she-Eevee managed to break their silence, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Aru. I really like it."

Almost immediately, Aru snuggled her and held her tighter. "I'm glad you like it," he whispered to her, closing his eyes contently. "The shop advertised that the bow is supposed to have enhancing capabilities, like a Defense scarf, but it helps with all your attributes."

Thali blushed a bit, humming. "This bow then… it must have cost you a pretty penny," she mused, frowning. "You didn't have to spend so much on me. I know you were saving that money up…"

Aru chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't you worry about it. You're the first person I met in this brand new world," he said. "You've helped me along the way, and even though I haven't gotten my old memories back, I'm glad that I can make new ones with you and everyone in the guild. I think it's fitting that you have that bow."

Thali blushed furiously, smiling all the while as she snuggled him. "Thank you, Aru," she whispered, smiling. She soon lost the will to stay awake however, and sleep guided her heavy eyelids down. "Goodnight."

Aru smiled as he laid her down on the hay softly, soon lying down on his own bed of hay. _None of my memories have been coming back… that's a little disappointing, _he thought with a sigh. _But, I suppose that's alright. My life with Thali has been… great, actually. At this point, I really don't care much about getting my memories back. _

He sighed and looked over to his partner. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, heard her soft breathing, and he blushed a bit. _I still don't understand what this feeling is, _he pondered. _But then again, maybe I don't have to…_

_That's what I'll do—just go with it._

_[Stop Music]_

**^/\^|v\/v**

…_**Syaoron the Fox presents…**_

…_**His First Pokémon Story…**_

_**Beyond the Sky**_

_**Chapter 4**_

_**The Hall of Legends**_

**^/\^|v\/v**

The two woke up the next morning to Loudred's shouting as usual, and per the usual they got up and completed the early morning cheers with the rest of the guild. If anything was abnormal that day, it was that Thali wasn't behind Aru like he expected her to be. He also noticed that Chimeco had disappeared off somewhere as well.

He wasn't too surprised. The young Eevee had been hanging with Chimeco and Sunflora more often the past few days. He believed that she found close friends in them, which made him happy. But he was even beginning to see less of her. What was she plotting with Chimeco?

He decided that perhaps he could ask Sunflora. The sunflower Pokémon had hung around long enough for him to talk to her a bit so he took up the opportunity while he could. "Hey, Sunflora, do you know where Thali went?"

Sunflora gave her typical "Eek!" at first, having been astonished by the sudden question. Afterward, she only smiled and giggled. "She and Chimeco are hanging out," she said. Then she gasped and squealed a bit. "Omigosh, you're gonna love it! They'll be back soon."

Aru would have asked what it was exactly that he was going to love, but Sunflora skipped away, still as bright and cheery as she always was. He also found that, as she skipped, she squealed—much like a high school girl, he figured. It wasn't until much later that Thali came back with their job request in hand, yet he still couldn't figure out what Sunflora had meant.

"Hey, Aru, are you okay?" Thali asked him, noting the confused expression he wore. She waves the request in the air as if to signify its importance. "We should really get going to these ruins. Our client is waiting."

"Oh, I knew that!" Aru said with a nervous chuckle, running back to their room to grab the treasure bag. "I just had to get ready is all." Then, though with an odd glance, Thali began to lead the way while Aru tagged along beside her.

_[Now Playing: __**"Raining in Baltimore" by: Counting Crows**__]_

They set out toward their job site, a series of ruins supposedly from the Age of Legends. It was a long ways away, far past Mt. Bristle where they had to travel for this job, and the rocky terrain was unforgiving to get there. Aru could see dark clouds already forming on the horizon, in the direction they were heading.

Aru decided that he would rather clarify the job before they arrived. "You're saying that this archeologist got lost in the ruins because it turned out to be a mystery dungeon?" he asked her.

Thali nodded, stepping carefully over rocks in their path and being wary to avoid ditches. "Yes, that would be about right," she answered. "The archeologist is a Vulpix—she goes by the name Phi, short for Phyllis. She believes she has made a vast discovery, but she can't go any further and needs our help to get out."

Aru nodded and sighed. "A mystery dungeon… who'd have thought?" he muttered, sighing as he picked up a rock and held it in his paw. "You said there were rock-type Pokémon in the dungeon too, right?"

"Yes, this dungeon is supposedly full of rock-types. There are sure to be Pokémon like Geodude, Cranidos, and maybe the occasional Onyx if we're unlucky. Our client is at a type disadvantage," Thali said, sighing. She smiled though, looking over to Riolu. "That's you're specialty though, isn't it?"

Aru chuckled and nodded, crushing the rock in his paw. He thanked this world for making him the fighting-type Riolu he is. "Yeah, that's for sure."

"Then you shouldn't have any trouble with it."

Aru gave a nod and smiled, humming to himself to fill the silence of their travel. He gave the occasional glance over to his partner, which caused her mysteriously to blush. Seeing this, he finally remembered what Sunflora had told him after morning cheers. Was she hiding something?

As they peaked the next rocky hill, Aru asked her, "Thali, are you hiding something from me?"

Immediately, the Eevee's cheeks went beet red, and it became quite obvious that she was. Whatever it was, she felt no obligation to tell him, merely responding indignantly with, "Nope! I'm not hiding anything."

Aru sighed at her words and scuffed at the dirt as they came down from the hill, into the valley of the next. "Thali…" he muttered, trying to think up something to say, only to find that the words hung in midair. Much as he tried to grasp at those words, they were as difficult to hold as a breath. "Sunflora told me that you were hiding something," he suddenly said.

Thali blushed even harder when she heard that. "O-oh? Did she now?"

"Well, it was more like she told me I would _love _it. I still don't know what _it _is."

"Well, I was planning on telling you soon," Thali responded, sighing.

Aru nodded. "Well, tell me now then. Why wait?"

"I wanted to… wait for the right time."

"You wanted to wait for the right time?"

Thali groaned as they began to climb the next hill. Neither of them noticed the clouds growing overhead. "Yes, I wanted to wait for the right time, the right atmosphere, just the right everything!"

Aru blinked and stared at her, confused. "You sound like you're trying to propose marriage or something," he said. Thali simply blushed furiously. "I mean, c'mon. You didn't get into the guild by waiting for the right… atmosphere."

"You're trying to compare two completely different situations," Thali argued as they reached the next hill's summit. She looked on ahead, wondering how much longer it would take before the ruins were in sight. "Besides, I didn't even want to tell you something. I wanted to give you something."

Aru blinked at her. "You wanted to give me something?" he asked her, intrigued by this. "What is it?"

The she-Eevee suddenly blushed at having given away that information, shaking her head. "I'm not telling you! It's supposed to be a surprise, silly," she replied, even giggling a bit. "I'll give it to you sometime, okay?"

Aru was only able to give a brief nod as he felt a lone raindrop hit his muzzle. Then a drizzle began to settle down upon them and the youthful Riolu gave a sigh. "It's gonna start raining harder soon. We should find some cover for the time being," he advised his partner. The clouds overhead were beginning to fade to a darker color, with more rain pouring by the second.

Thali gave a nod, biting her lip slightly. How had she not noticed these clouds coming overhead? Had she really been so distracted as to not notice? She gave a sigh. _What's wrong with me? _she wondered, groaning as they ran for some cover. "Up ahead, there's a rock formation we could probably rest under," Thali said, running toward a small hollowing between two larger boulders, the jagged points of the rock providing a large enough roof to shelter them from the rain.

"It could be raining for a long time," Aru muttered, sighing. "I hope our client will be okay until we can get there."

Thali nodded, humming. "She should be alright. In her own right, she's a strong-willed explorer," she said.

"In her own doubt, she's at a severe type disadvantage," Aru retorted.

Thali gave a sigh, nodding. "Yeah… you've got that right," she muttered. As soon as the storm was over, they'd have to make double-time for the ruins so as not to risk the safety of their client.

Thali was also quite thankful for the rain, however. It gave her the time and atmosphere, just as she had wanted. "Hey, Aru, you remember that thing I said I was gonna give you?" she asked him. The Riolu gave a short nod and the young Eevee giggled. "Close your eyes, silly. It's still a surprise!" she said, giggling.

Reluctantly, the Riolu closed his eyes. Aru could hear her giggling, feeling her trembling paws on his shoulder. He twitched when he felt an odd fabric on his chest and again when a he felt something being tied around his neck.

"Okay, you can open your eyes," Thali spoke to him, smiling.

Aru blinked at her, looking down and noticing the red bandana tied round his neck. He blushed a shade of red to match the bandana and looked back into her eyes. "Thali, I…"

"Hush," Thali stopped him, placing a paw over his mouth. "I want you to have this. It's something I had specially ordered. It combines the effects of a Defense and a Zinc scarf to give you extra defense against attacks."

Aru blushed, feeling the strength that the bandana gave him, and he pulled Thali in for a tight hug. "Thank you, Thali…"

"Oh Aru… you don't have to thank me," Thali told him. "I wanted to repay you for the lovely bow you gave me."

Aru smiled, rubbing his arm. He truthfully felt a bit embarrassed. He could hardly believe he had such a nice bandana on his neck and he wondered for a moment if Thali felt the same way with her bow. _Perhaps she did…_

For the longest time, they stayed there. The Riolu held tightly onto his partner while the Eevee nuzzled in his chest. They felt each other's comforting warmth as the storm rumbled on. Though the cold rain pitter-pattered against the stony ground, the two felt no cold, only each other's warmth.

It wasn't till what felt like hours that the rain lightened and finally disappeared. Sunlight shined down through the cracks of the rock, down upon the Unity in their embrace. Aru fluttered his eyes open, light shining into his orbs. He winced and looked away quickly, back down to his partner. "Thali… Thali, wake up."

The Eevee blinked and looked up at him, a bit groggy. "What is it, Aru?" Thali asked, still feeling tired; tired to the point where thinking was a chore.

Aru smiled at her and pulled out a small, cone-shaped berry—a Chesto Berry, which helped wake up the eater. He tore off a piece and handed it to her, taking the rest of it for himself. Immediately, the two felt more awake. "The rain stopped. We should probably get going," he whispered.

Thali only nodded, blushing. She didn't remember falling asleep, only that she felt really warm—and when she woke up, feeling the warmth of Aru's body heat, she was blushing furiously. That same red tint remained as she responded, "Yeah. Let's go."

_[Stop Music]_

^/\^|v\/v

It was only a couple hours later that the Unity arrived at a rather large base encampment that was just outside the ruins. Pokémon of all sorts gathered here, all for the sole purpose of investigating these magnificent ruins.

Word was going around though that certain anomalies were cropping up all over the land. Thali and Aru were able to pick up on some gossip as they meandered through the camp. Some of what they heard was not settling.

Nearby, a Sandslash and a Rampardos were discussing such things. "Have you heard about the secret investigation that's being done?" asked the Sandslash to the Rampardos. "Supposedly, the five Guildmasters—even the Thieves Guild's master—are gathering to investigate why time is getting all wacky."

"Time, you say?" the Rampardos asked, musing with his cup of tea. "I heard that because of time's distortion, there are multitudes of mystery dungeons popping up all over the place."

The Sandslash gave a nod. "Yes, I could believe that," he said. "After all, the ruins themselves have developed into a mystery dungeon. It's becoming harder and harder to discover new things because rooms keep repeating."

The words passed between those two were enough for the Unity to grab a gist of the situation. Now all they needed to do was get inside.

_[Now Playing: __**"Panic Switch" by: Silversun Pickups **__]_

The entrance to the ruins was obvious enough, made conspicuous by the stone walkway that was lined with pillars which led into a temple. An inscription above the temple entrance was made in footprint runes, something Thali had great expertise in. "The **Hall of Origin**. That's what this place is called," she said after examining it for a few seconds.

Aru looked around as they entered the great stone edifice. The first room was dark and a bit dusty—as Aru's sudden sneeze so evidently showed—and it seemed as if parts of it had been sectioned off for further studies. Strange pictographs depicting tales of long lost legends were carved into the walls. "This is… incredible," Aru gaped, turning round in circles just to look at it all.

Thali nodded, a glint of excitement in her eyes as they continued onward. "I know, right?" she squealed. "Before exploring, I considered archeology. I love the stories of legendary Pokémon, tales of old, and other things like that."

The dungeon itself was most uneventful. The wild Pokémon that had taken up residence here were none too powerful, easily overcome by Aru and Thali's teamwork. They scrounged every corner of the ruins, searching for their client.

It wasn't till much deeper, when the wild Pokémon had become stronger than they expected, that they had begun to wonder if they went too far. Thali was, however, unaffected. "Ooh, look at this Aru!" she shouted over to him, pointing to a statue of an elegant looking Pokémon. "Look! Look! That's Arceus, the creator of all Pokémon! Can you believe it? Such a detailed statue, and—"

The young Eevee only snapped out of her transfixion when a large crash came down behind her. Thali looked over her shoulder and turned, noticing with a gasp that a large and vicious-looking Agron had collapsed, blood dripping from its mouth. Aru stood atop it, sighing. "Let's move it along, okay?" he teased her. The Eevee only chuckled, discomforted as she followed the Riolu.

Later, the two came to realize that their worries of leaving their client behind were unnecessary. Up ahead, relaxing peacefully in a corner, was a Vulpix—their client… apparently enjoying a cup of tea. "Ms. Phi?" Thali spoke up to get her attention. "We're here to take you to safety."

"Where _have_ you been?!" the Vulpix suddenly shouted, standing up and turning her nose to the air haughtily. "I have been waiting in this most dreadful place for such a long time. Those brutish, frightening Pokémon are everywhere and I wish to leave this instant! Plus, it's hot and muggy! Do you know how hard it is to maintain my precious tails when it's all muggy? Do you?!"

Aru was appalled upon hearing this pompous woman. He had never heard such a whiny voice in all the time he had been in this world. With a sigh though, he put on a smile. "Uh, we are here to help you escape, ma'am. You won't have to worry about… your tails any longer," he said to her, taking out his badge and casting it out, creating a circle of blue light. "This light will take you to the dungeon's entrance. You can find your way back from there."

"Yes, I believe I will be able to do fine by myself," Phi stated confidently. Aru nearly stumbled from the change in attitude. As the Vulpix strode over toward the light, she looked over her shoulder at the Unity. "Thank you, for getting me out of here by the way. There was something I was trying to investigate, but I couldn't get to the end of this blasted dungeon."

Thali, disregarding her attitude change—perhaps she was bipolar—was curious of this investigation. "What were you trying to find down there?" she asked.

Phi sighed and nodded. "There are explorers who go into the ruins, past the dungeon part, and then they don't come out," she said. "Supposedly, down at the end of the dungeon, past an altar in tribute to the Legends, there is a vast labyrinth of all sorts of tricks and puzzles. It was only a rumor, since no one has come back from past the dungeon itself. I was going down there to investigate it myself. Perhaps, since I am clearly incapable, you two could go and investigate it for me?"

Though Aru was about to jest, Thali jumped at the chance to be part of a fantastic archeological discovery. "We'll do it! We won't let you down, Ms. Phi!" she claimed, pouncing Aru to keep him quiet, as she knew he would object.

Phi simply smiled and nodded to them, giggling softly. "I'm sure you won't dearie. I must be off. Ta ta for now!" she spoke to them before vanishing in the blue light.

Aru stared blankly as the blue light faded and he picked up his badge when Thali allowed him up. He groaned a bit, twisting his back to make sure it was okay. "Such a strange woman," he mused as they continued deeper into the dungeon.

"Do you think there's really a labyrinth down there?" Thali asked, her excitement clearly showing through.

Aru gave a nod, analyzing the situation. "It would explain what Phi said; that archeologists are going missing deep inside the ruins," he said. "I guess we're going to go investigate it, eh?"

"You bet! I'm not passing up an opportunity like this!" Thali exclaimed as she bounded forward. Aru could only follow in her footsteps, chasing her down in case she ran too far ahead.

The end of the dungeon was really not much further, and it made Aru chuckle that Vulpix couldn't even go this little bit further. As they stepped out of the dungeon, they came into a magnificent chamber that awed them both. On the left side was a depiction of the quarreling duo—Groudon and Kyogre—being settled by the shining light of the dragon Rayquaza. On the right wall was a depiction of the legendary birds—Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos—flying outward while their earthly canine counterparts—Suicune, Entei, and Raikou—were dashing over the land.

"These paintings are just… They're amazing," Thali gasped, looking around. She walked down the center, which was tiled to act as a walkway, and she gazed to the back of the room. Statues of the Dialga the Timekeeper lined the left while statues of Palkia the Space-mender lined the right. To the very back was a small set of stairs leading to an altar. Strange runes lined the table at the altar while a large painting of Arceus on the wall behind it seemed to look down on the altar. "This must be the altar that Phi was talking about."

Aru nodded, soon catching up with her. "What do you think they did at an altar like this?" he asked.

"I don't know, Aru. I don't have a clue," Thali admitted.

They couldn't question much more when a blinding orb of light suddenly appeared above the altar, causing the two to stumble back. A whistling sound pierced the air as a beam of white light was shot down from the orb. When their eyes adjusted, they looked at the beam of light and gasped a bit. A figure was being formed from the light, but they couldn't quite tell what it was. When finally the figure was complete, the light dissipated and was gone like a whisper.

"What is that?" Aru asked, gazing at the figure. It appeared to take the form of a bipedal snake with a pale underbelly and green upper half. A sort of collar seemed to form around the area where the neck would be, and two green, flimsy arms began to stretch out as well as two pale legs. The end of the tail flared with three leaves as the big brown eyes opened.

"Huh? Where… am I?" the figure—clearly feminine—weakly spoke before her eyes glazed over and she fell.

Luckily for the girl, Aru managed to catch her so she didn't take any damage. The strange Pokémon was none he had ever seen. "What can you make of this, Thali?" he asked her. "What kind of Pokémon is she?"

Thali was flabbergasted at the question. "I've never seen a Pokémon like her," she said. The surprises ceased to end as a loud, rumbling sound came from behind them. The doorway they had come in was soon shut off by a stone wall.

Aru gulped, culminating all the instances and surmising them. "We're trapped."

_[Stop Music]_


End file.
